From Daily Escape

Revision as of 05:04, 2 December 2007

Chris Marshall
Prime Minister of Australia Member for Forde
Term of office 8 October 2007 - present
Political party	Liberty and Democracy Party of Australia
Preceded by	Malcolm Hawke
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Born	18 January 1959 (age 48)
Spouse	Annita Marshall (née van Iersel)
Profession	Lawyer, politician
Religion	Catholicism
Languages	English, Bahasa Indonesia, French, Mandarin, Cantonese, German
Other positions	Minister of Foreign Affairs (1990-1993) Minister of Defence (1993-1996) Treasurer (1996-2007) Deputy Prime Minister of Australia (1996-2007) Vice President of the Federal Executive Council (1995-2003) Chairman of the Liberty and Democracy Party of Australia (2005- ) Member of the House of Representatives for the Division of Forde (1984- )

Marshall was born in Lismore, New South Wales in 1959. He is the son of a public sevant, and has one brother, who owns and operates a security company in Southern New South Wales. Marshall was educated at state schools, and graduated Lismore High School in 1977. He studied law at the Griffith University in Mount Gravatt, Queensland, graduating in 1981. While at university, Marshall became interested in student politics, at first flirting with Young Labor, and then the Young Liberals. In 1981, his last year, he, with a group of Liberals and Labor members at Griffith founded a student branch of the Libery and Democracy Party.

After university, Marshall went into a suburban law practice in Beenleigh, and started a local branch of the LDP, and was its driving force.

Marshall campaigned extensively in 1983, and narrowly lost. An electoral redistribution in 1984 created the seat of Forde, which Marshall won.

After three years on the backbench, Marshall had increased his majority to 62%, making Forde the safest LDP seat in Australia. Marshall was increasingly a driving force behind the party, pushing hard for more free market policies, and heavily attacking the Hayden government in Parliament. Shortly before the 1987 election, the Courier Mail predicted that Marshall would move on to the front bench, and they were proven right. Marshall had campaigned hard in 1987, and after the election was appointed to the relatively senior shadow portfolio of Trade.

Robert Snedden, the Opposition Leader, and leader of the LDP was seen as a moderate, and Marshall believed that his moderation was costing the party votes. In a 1988 party room meeting, Marshall challenged Snedden for the opposition leadership, and lost with 10 votes against Snedden's 25. Marshall was relegated to the backbench.

During 1989, Marshall had reestablished his position in the party and then backed the challenge of the popular conservative Malcolm Hawke against Snedden. Hawke won easily, with 30 votes to Snedden's 5 votes. Marshall was promoted to Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs. Hawke never explained why Marshall, the man instrumental in Hawke's rise to the leadership, was not made deputy leader, and Shadow Treasurer. It has been speculated that Hawke saw Marshall as a threat due to his 1988 challenge to Snedden.

The 1990 election was a resounding victory for the LDP, and Marshall was commissioned as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He moved Australia into a more independent foreign policy, opening new missions in South East Asia, and reconciliated with Vietnam, and condemned French nuclear tests in the South Pacific and Indonesian repression in East Timor. After the Dili Massacre, he withdrew Australia's Ambassador to Indonesia, expelled Indonesia's Embassy (allowing only one Consulate in Perth to remain), and recomending the seizure of all Suharto family assets in Australia. He also labelled the occupation of East Timor as "a barbarous crime, a blight on South East Asia". Marshall's remarks soured Australia's relationship with South East Asia, which has notoriously refused to engage in the types of condemnation of human rights abuse that are common for Western nations. Marshall also condemned the Burmese military dictatorship, long before it became fashionable. He championed closer ties with Japan, and Britain.

1990 also saw another important event in Marshall's life, he married former Alitalia hostess Annita van Iersel. The couple have four children, all of whom live at The Lodge.

The 1993 election produced another victory for the LDP, and a move for Marshall, this time to the Defence portfolio. As Minister of Defence, Marshall ordered additonal F-111 aircraft from the US, and initiated key upgrade programs for the F/A-18, P-3C Orion, and F-111. He started a procurement program to replace Australia's aging C-130E transport aircraft, and Macchi MB-326H trainers. Marshall started the outsourcing of some defence functions, and corporatised some defence functions, he was responsible for the creation of Australian Defence Industries.

Marshall also fixed flaws in Labor government defence purchases, Marshall ensured that the ANZAC class frigates were more comprehensively equipped with anti-ship missiles, and surface to air missiles, as well as initiating the acquisition of AEGIS destroyers for the Navy. He started AIR4000, which has replaced Australia's F/A-18 Hornets with new built Strike Eagles, and AIR87, which provided the ADF with an attack helicopter capability. He also persuaded the Americans to sell Australia cruise missiles. He started a program to increase the size of the Army, and bring the armies incorporated into the Australian Army in 1988 up to the standards of the mainland's Army, with things ranging from providing F88 Austeyr rifles to replace the Singaporean and American rifles used in Fiji, and the Solomon Islands, and turning Fiji's regular infantry battalion into an Australian parachute battalion. He also initiated a program of dispersing personnel of the new states throughout the defence force. Marshall upgraded New Zealand's P-3K Orions to the same standard as Australian Orions.

Political Views

Marshall is a minarchist. He is opposed to government intervention in most areas of society. He believes that government should confine itself to the enforcement of contracts, defence, law enforcement, and the provision of a basic safety net of social welfare (mainly through the 30/30 tax system).

Marshall is a staunch monarchist, and was behind the revival of the title of Australian Knight in the Order of Australia. The Queen showed her recognition of his monarchism when she flew her Australian personal flag on Prime Minister Marshall's 2007 British Visit. Marshall was the force behind the previous government's embrace of the trappings of the Monarchy, which are now seen in most things the government does. Pictures of the Queen appear in all government buildings, envelopes containing official correspondence bear the initials OHMS (On Her Majesty's Service), new Australian citizens swear the following oath now:

I, A. B. swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Australia, Her heirs and successors according to law, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Australia and fulfil my duties as an Australian citizen.

While Treasurer (1996-2007), Marshall introduced key reforms of the Australian economy. He ended centralised wage fixing, floated the dollar, deregulated the airlines, lowered the tariff wall, reformed taxes and welfare, opened the financial sector to foreign competition.

Marshall in 1993

Key Dates

• December 1, 1984: Marshall elected as Member for Forde
• 11 July 1987: 1987 Federal Election; Liberal Democrats become the official opposition. Marshall appointed to the Opposition Frontbench, Shadow Minister of Trade
• 1988: Marshall mounts unsuccessful leadership challenge against Robert Snedden
• 1989: Marshall backs Malcolm Hawke against Snedden, Hawke successful, and appoints Marshall Shadow Minister of Foriegn Affairs
• 24 March 1990: 1990 Federal Election; Liberal Democrats under Hawke defeat the Australian Labor Party (led by Bob Hughes). Marshall commissioned as Minister of Foreign Affairs
• 13 March 1993: 1993 Federal Election; Liberal Democrats gain control of the Senate, Marshall becomes Minister of Defence
• 2 March 1996: 1996 Federal Election; Liberal Democrat majority in House of Reps falls to a 15 seat majority, Marshall becomes Treasurer
• September 2005: Marshall elected Chairman of the Liberty and Democracy Party
• October 2007:
  • Corruption inquiry finds evidence of massive cash political donations to Prime Minister Malcolm Hawke.
  • PM's explaination fails to satisfy inquiry. Other witnesses from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
  • Marshall calls for leadershiop ballot
  • Hawke advises Governor General to dismiss Marshall, the Governor General refused.
• 8 October 2007: Marshall wins leadership ballot overwhelmingly
  • Tony Abbott informed the Prime Minister of the result. In the normal course of events, Hawke would have been required to resign as Prime Minister, and advise the Governor-General that Marshall was in position for form a government. Instead, Malcolm Hawke took a revolver from his desk drawer, and shot himself in the head. As Deputy Prime Minister, Marshall became Acting-Prime Minister. He advised the Governor General that he had the confidence of both Houses of Parliament, and could form a government. At 4:25pm, Governor General Major General Michael Jeffery commissioned Marshall as Prime Minister of Australia.

Children

• Patrick (1992)
• Caroline (1994)
• Katherine (1997)
• Alexandra (2000)